A Long Road to Fortune/Banshee
This is the prologue to A Long Road to Fortune. It is titled Banshee. Banshee April 18th, 2010 The pre-apocalyptic Tecpan shines heavenly, as much as it possibly can at this time. Cars drive around town normally, people walk the streets with some goal in their minds, as any normal person does. Chatter of all kinds fills the air as does the honking of horns, be it from the cars that populate the streets or from the cart of the local ice cream vendor. It is hard to believe that quite soon this amicable community will be destroyed. But looking at it now, you know just how much you're going to miss it once it is gone. These people don't know this however, not knowing how long they will have to fully savor this complimentary form of fortune. A woman by the fair name of Patricia Leon finds herself in a short trek back home. Well, not hers to be exact but rather the home she is currently staying in, one that belongs to some soon-to-be ex in-laws. What she carries with her is just one gloomy plastic bag of veggies for a meal. By the looks of it, it'd be just for her. Leaving the marketplace behind, she makes her way through the busy Reforma street-- people pay mind to her-- waving at her and calling out for her. She does the same and both parties are content. Everything is tastefully normal despite today's date. Patricia had something special planned both for her and her nephew but an unfortunate recent development has trashed those previous plans briskly aside. Her schedule today wasn't at all busy, usually never is. Just make herself some lunch, write her novel, and drop by the hospital later. But as she walks past a certain conniving alley next to one of the Reforma's pharmacies, her eyes widen at the sight of a poor man who looks to be gravely ill, suffering. His snarls make everything unnerving and Patricia, being the kind soul that she is, enters the alley in hopes of helping him. This man is short but something is very odd about his skin. It's green, with some nasty cuts showing some nasty flesh and puss. The putrid stench that emits from him also makes her nearly vomit, as it is unlike anything she has ever smelled before. Nevertheless, this man still moves, he makes sounds, he's still alive and he's in pain. So, Patricia continues with her approach, hoping to be of some assistance. “Excuse me sir...are you ok?” she calls out to him. No response. Patricia continues to get closer and closer until she is directly behind the man. She places her right hand on his right shoulder, passing her bag of vegetables over to her left. “Sir, please say something. You need to get yourself checked out. This is unlike anything I've ever seen!” She pleads, but the man continues to ignore her...until. He suddenly rises to his feet, startling the poor Patricia, who drops her bag of vegetables in shock. She's freaking out at this point but with proper justification. Not screaming or squirming, just shaking lightly as she steps back slowly. The man then turns to face her, forcing her look of worry to that of pure horror. She stares in his eyes, those lifeless eyes. The blood, the one that flows out of his mouth and drips to the floor below him, is disgustng. Patricia is still frozen in fear, because this-- whatever this is-- is far from human. The fear eats her up....and it is a fatal mistake. The man lunges at Patricia, tackling her down to the floor. In response, Patricia screams with such intensity that everything that moves is alerted in a second. But her blood-curling scream of sheer unadulterated fear is so intensely pitched that it is practically a wail, one that is heard by every living thing in the vicinity. It stays prolonged as Patricia struggles to get the man off of her until some nearby people come to her aid, harshly pulling the man off of her. They scream in rage at the man but he ignores them, instead trying to bite them. One of the men is forced to strike the man across the side of the head to stop him, but is it far from enough. He comes back to try again, scratching him in the process. Filled with an uncontainable rage, the man strikes him over and again until this infected's head is turned to mush. “He gave me no choice! The man insists. He speaks more and more in order to justify what many people are thinking is murder but others turn to the source of the sound, a stunningly beautiful woman. As she pants in relief, many observe her beauty with fear. This is the wail that will forever foretell many a deaths to come. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ March 2nd, 2010 A quiet day, nothing much seems to be going on. A lonely woman looks to be waiting for someone as she continues to sit in a couch. This is Patricia Leon sitting a beautiful home. It has been cleaned to shine. The floor reflects the outside light, every single ornament and centerpiece has been placed in such an elegant way, the kitchen made spotless, and a marvelous meal sits in the table. From the smell we can tell it is an exquisite dish named chilaquiles, prepared with red tomatoes and onions with some homemade guacamole to accompany it on the side. Apart from this lovely dish, fresh cucumber and lemon water stands in a pitcher, to be the drink to accompany this meal. Patricia looks at the clock and it reads 12:30 PM. Ashton should be home from school very soon to join her. Patricia was hoping this meal would get him to open up to her. Ever since her separation from Ashton's uncle, Patricia was kicked out from her own home and forced out on to the streets. Ashton's parents were more than happy to lent her the house to keep Ashton some company, especially now after planning that vacation, one which it seems Ashton was not interested in being a part of. Living in this house for three months now, she has only gotten bits of of a conversation with him. He's a nice kid, she can tell. Smart and handsome but still very antisocial. She can't imagine how it has all been for him though so she just gives him the benefit of the doubt. Still she has to admit though, she's gotten pretty fond of him these last couple of weeks. Ashton has come a long way from being a hoodlum, she thinks. Patricia has never thought bad of her dear nephew but she understands he's had a fair share of ups and downs, more downs than ups sadly. That and coupled with how lonely he has been most of his life she can't help but sympathize with him. After all, she knows the feeling very well too. She thought marriage would change this for her but it only made it worse, waiting each night for a drunkard to come home and demean her in many ways possible. Physically, verbally, you name it and Patricia has experienced it but her desire to fill a void in her life led her to him. She does not quite regret this decision though, as much as it came back to hurt her several times later. The clock now reads 12:55. Ashton is running a bit late, but doing what? He always comes straight home. So worried, Patricia gets up from the sofa and slowly circles around her living room, tapping her foot anxiously. As she is doing this, she holds her right hand out away from her body, admiring the beauty of her wedding ring. It is silver but she has no idea of what karat. Her eyes are glued to the sapphire in the middle, making it one of the most beautiful things she has ever laid eyes on-- yet at the same time-- it is so profoundly covered in false words and lies. She never loved the man, just his company. She knows this, and has for a long time. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ September 5th, 2007 She stands there, in this fair church wearing her mothers beautiful wedding dress. It is a silky white that looms over from her elegant thin body down to the ground behind her. Next to her is her soon-to-be husband, Julian. He wears black suit that eludes class and his hair is combed in a wave to perfection. Patricia is taller than him by a couple of inches, something that the husband pretends to be over but is clearly ashamed of. As they stand in front of the reverend, waiting to be wed, Patricia looks back at the people here today to accompany the both of them. There weren't very many but this is just how she liked it. The Leon family is mostly present but notably absent are Patricia's parents, who disagree with the wedding. However, most of her fiancees relatives are here, his numerous brothers extremely ecstatic that a decent-looking guy like Julian could land an elegant beauty like Patricia, who was unanimously considered to be among Tecpan's finest women. One guest in particular though rubbed Patricia the wrong way. It was a young boy who looks to be about 14 and bored out of his mind, clearly wanting to be somewhere else. Patricia can see his concealed can of graffiti and is amazed nobody else can see it besides her. She pays no more mind to him however as more pressing matters concern her. A punk was not going to ruin this day for her. “Do you...” the reverend. goes on to say Julian's full name as Julian himself turns to Patricia. “Take Patricia Gladys Leon Huerta to be your lawfully wedded partner, in sickness and in health, until death bids you both apart?” Julian replies with a simple “I do”. Soon the judge says the same words to Patricia, with her name exchanged with his. Her reply stays the same but the look of sheer excitement in her face makes this moment absolutely perfect. This is the beginning to the rest of her tragically short life. Without any further interruptions, Julian plants a passionate kiss on her gorgeous lips, his brothers looking at him with a mixture of pride and envy. The young boy is still stoic, waiting for this damn ceremony to be over as shifts around the seat. Everybody else in the ceremony cheers and claps during this marvelous kiss. The bridesmaids even start tearing up with joy as they clap with vigor. This day is completely and utterly perfect. The bride and groom leave the church holding hands with their faces completely lit up in joy, running inside a blue Honda. As Patricia and Julian get it, we see baggage placed firmly in the backseat. Julian begins driving out of Tecpan, passing the bridge and eventually el Cerrito. Both are headed for Playa del Carmen, in Cancun, where they hope to spend the time of their lives. It is going to be a hell of a drive but both of these souls are ecstatic. Ready for the greatest honeymoon to ever grace two lonely people. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ March 2nd, 2010 It is 3:50 now and Patricia still lingers on waiting for Ashton. She is worried, has her phone out ready to dial him. He could have gotten into more trouble for all she knew. Ashton has been free of criminal activity for about a year and a half now yet he is still constantly being prosecuted by the past, as he often lets people beat on him in school or even in bright daylight in front of thousands. Patricia can't help but feel protective of him now, and she feels one day these assaults will become fatal for him. Patricia had to shake these thoughts out of her head though, they would not be of any help to her whatsoever. She stops one second to tragically chuckle at herself. Here she is worrying about her antisocial nephew as a mother would yet it has only been three months since she's been living with Ashton. Her loneliness impressed her, how it could lead her to love her nephew like a son. She suddenly turns her gaze to a baby photo of Ashton, where he looks to be about 1 year old and clearly just taking his first steps. The way he stands is crooked and very wobbly. He could fall at any given moment. Patricia looks at the photo with an endearing smile. How she wishes she could have had a child of her own but she guesses god had other plans for her. This is also another factor that led to her estrangement from Julian, as he too wanted a child, one he would never receive from Patricia. Patricia stops looking at the photo and instead turns her eyes to the family album. She picks it up. It is large yet light. Made of a fancy red leather, Patricia opens it to observe the contents. It's empty. But she already knows this. Stops to look at it everyday however. She can't help herself, it makes her feel sad for him, not having any memories sought to cherish enough for a family album. She is determined to change this, if only he would let her. That same sad look plastered on his face everyday that only changes when he is with his friends, especially that Liza girl he is so fond of. Patricia needed to give him this smile as well. She ponders for a moment and remembers, Ashton's birthday is next month, the 18th of April. He would become 17 years old later that month. She needed to make this the best birthday he'll ever have or possibly the first he will ever have for the first time. Contemplating with many ideas in her head, Patrica almost doesn't notice the knocks on the front door. Quickly, she makes her way over to the door, careful not to trip on her steps. It has to be Ashton on the other side of that door, who else can it possibly be? Seeing as how Ashton hasn't opened the door by himself with his key, it only means that he was assaulted yet again, robbed, and beaten. She opens the door and reveals his figure, gasping sadly as she looks at him. He's a mess and missing all of his personal belongings, but she thanks god that he is still in one piece. His left eye is a deep shade of purple as it bloats with a red color. His lip has been busted open, his right cheekbone looks to be broken and finally the way he limps though the open door tells her all she needs to know. Once he's inside, she hugs him, resting her head on his shoulder. Ashton call feel her tears begin to dampen his clothes as he just stands there, letting Patricia comfort him, not even bothering to hug her back. He's used to this, a year and a half of taking Tecpan's punishment. Patricia just can't however, who would be able to stand for this to happen to their loved ones for such a long time. Patricia just wants his pain to end but how can it? The town hates him, won't give him a chance. It's justified to an extent but this is just too much for a young man to endure with frequency, it's tragic...yet also pathetic. But this is how he chooses to punish himself for all of his misdeeds. As both pass the sliding door and slip into the house, Ashton widens his eyes at the sight of the meal. He loves his aunt's cooking despite never telling her. “I made us some lunch to eat when you returned but it's a bit cold by now...” she says this with a worried tone of voice, fearing the magic of this meal is gone. But Ashton speaks up. “It's fine.” his simple reply gives Patricia a sigh of relief. Both don't hesitate any longer, they sit down at the large dinner table clearly made for many people to feast in at the same time. It has never been fully seated but now it was shared by more than just Ashton. He doesn't even bother to heat the food and begins to slowly commence the meal. Patricia sits across from him and pours him a glass of the cool cucumber and lemon water. He looks up at her as she does and her wink tells her it's okay to stay quiet. He continues to eat whilst taking cautious sips of his water. Patricia eats a slower pace than him, wanting to enjoy this moment to the fullest. Her favorite part of the day has always been her meal with Ashton, even if there's never much talking going. The way he eats her cooking without hesitation tells her all she needs to know. But suddenly Patricia gets a wild idea, this will be her attempt to bond with Ashton. “So...how are things going between you and that Liza girl? She's pretty cute, seems into you too.” the look on her face while she says this is amicable, cheerful. Despite Ashton lacking a proper answer, he chooses not to be rude to his aunt. “They are fine.” he replies simply. Patricia's intrigue grows each second, she can't simply take this simple sentence for an answer. “Still just friends I presume? Have you tried giving her a little kiss? Cheek, mouth, even forehead? She'll “dig” that.” her attempt to use modern lingo with Ashton amuses him so he chuckles lightly, still with that plastered look of perpetual misery in his face but the smile on his face is deceiving. “I can't just kiss her.” Patricia frowns a little at his reply. It is paced slowly, not an outburst by any means. She can't stand it. “Well, give it a try! You never know, she may want it.” Her words don't resonate with Ashton, who keeps eating. After finally swallowing, he lets out a breaking reply. “She could do much better.” Patricia sighed, wondering what it could be like inside that head of his. “Well, I for one think you're the prize.” this reply causes a small, warm smile to leave Ashton. Satisfied for now, they continue to eat their meal in peace until finally finishing it. “I got the dishes.” Ashton tells her. Patricia's stare one of serenity. “Alright.” she replies to him. “Oh- and make sure you give your room a pass too. It has seen much better days.” she adds. Ashton smiles. “Yes ma'am.” _______________________________________________________________________________________________ March 27th, 2010 She only got the news now, a day later. All of his friends came, told her personally. All of them were sorry about, but Liza seemed to be sorry the most. All of them were in tears right before when they divulged every single detail to her. They explained to her how it all happened. First a gunfight in the zocalo broke out, between the police and cartel. Of course, they all had to be caught right in the middle of it. Despite all of them escaping to safety, it ended brutally for her nephew. She didn't wish for anything bad to happen to this group of teenagers but out of all of them why, WHY did it have to be her nephew who suffered those fatal injuries? They didn't know what had become of him until the ambulance arrived, because they never even bothered to look back. They were all sorry but this isn't their fault. Patricia moves frantically down the main avenue, speeding to the hospital as fast a she possibly can. Tears are falling down her face as she power walks to the town's hospital. All eyes are of the poor woman as she tries to keep her quiet sobs to herself. The hospital-- it's facing her right there in the distance. But despite her haste and the short distance that stands between her and it, the trek seems to be as long as days. But she's there, moving across the main lobby all the way to the reception, ignoring those around her. “I'm here about a boy.” she says frantically. She proceeds to tell the woman in the reception Ashton's full name. “Ma'am, please be seated. The boy is currently under surgery, we called his parents to let him know and they agreed to pay for the finest treatment.” the woman says. Patricia looks to be a little bit more relieved but she doesn't show it, maintaining the same overly worried and impatient look she had on her face when she arrived. “..Are they on their way? They need to be! This is their son!” Patricia asks relentlessly. The woman simply shakes her head nonchalantly while she chews her bubblegum. Patricia cannot believe it. It was a vacation for both of them but what can be worth more than the life of your own flesh and blood? They may not care about Ashton, but she does. “Please sit in our waiting area. I'll ring you up once the doctor says it is okay.” the woman says to Patricia who can't help but comply, but before she sits, she gives the woman a hesitant “thank you”, who nods in response. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ March 28th, 2010 Patricia waits for hours, finally hoping to hear anything regarding Ashton's stabilization. Despite coming here quite early in the day, maybe at around 12 in the afternoon, the light of the day has been gone for a long time. Patricia wakes up from her second nap, regaining her composure while shuffling in her seat. She's dozed off twice by now, waiting here in this hospital chair, only leaving it to grab a bite to eat outside or use the restroom. She grabs her cellphone to look at the time. It reads 12:30 AM, been here for exactly 12 hours. She's starting to lose hope, wondering why in the name of god this is taking so long. Soon however, a pretty young woman in a maid's uniform approaches the waiting area. Patricia can tell she is headed to see her from the way she gazes at her...but the look on her face not one of content by any means. The nurse takes a second to spin her sight around the room. Patricia is one of only 4 people waiting for service here. Luckily for Patricia however, she is about to receive hers. “Are you miss Leon?” the nurse asks. Patricia looks up at her and nods. “Yes, that's me. Is my nephew okay?” Patricia asks. The nurse's look changes to become even more somber as she begins to shake her head slowly. “We did everything we could. He's stabilized...but...” she stops and instead guides Patricia across the hospital, to a room in the first floor. That is where Ashton is placed atop a bed, lying peacefully. A mask is placed on his face, particularly his nose, as an oxygen tank provides him with what he needs to function. Patricia tears up, shaking her head in disbelief. The electrocardiogram shows nothing but slow, small waves as it lets out few beeps each minute. The doctor turns to face the nurse. “Thank you for bringing her here, Sandra. I find it preposterous that Maria left without informing her of her nephew.” he says to Sandra. Sandra nods. “She is an airhead after all.” As soon as she replies, the doctor turns his attention to Patricia. He looks directly through her as he begins to open his mouth. “He suffered from approximately six stab wounds to the abdomen and stomach areas. Luckily for him, only half of them were deep enough to cause severe injuries. His digestive track was hit as was his stomach but we managed to stitch them up before it was too late. Other than that`, he suffered severe blood loss which landed him in this, comatose state. We're still looking for donors, as your nephew possess a very rare blood type, A-. Not many people in town have it.” the doctor directs Patricia to Sandra, who shows a single stitch in her left arm. “Sandra chose to volunteer out of the goodness of her heart, considering who your nephew is-” the doctor speaks but is swiftly interrupted by Patricia. “Was.” Is what she says as soon as she interrupts him. The doctor simply ignores this and continues. “But he's going to need more. If we can't obtain any, his future will be very uncertain. Could either die or survive but-- without more blood, the former seems to be more likely. I'm sorry to say.” Patricia continues to cry and eventually sobs into her palms. She is now facing the horror of losing someone she loves dearly, like a son, completely like one. “I suggest you start looking ma'am. We could use all the help we can get.” the doctor told her. Soon after, both he and Sandra left the room, leaving Patricia standing by Ashton's bedside. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ April 18th, 2010 It is already nighttime and Patricia gets ready for another visit to the hospital. She brings along with her Ashton's family album, some flowers, and a happy birthday balloon. Today is the day Ashton turns 17 years old and she had quite a day planned for him-- but the grim reality was another. Not many of the people Patricia could find had Ashton's blood type and those very few who did, had no interest in donating anything that would even remotely benefit Ashton. But here she is today, on her way over to the hospital. She goes alone, not knowing if his friends have already dropped by for a visit but since they love him like she does, she figures at least some of them have. As she walks to the hospital, she tries to shake that horrible image of the man who attacked her earlier and even more to forget the pile of mush his head was turned into. Upon arriving, she sees the hospital much busier than it usually is. A few people have started to come in with scratches and fever, one woman even has a pretty nasty bite on her wrist. But aside from the fact that they're scratched in some form, all of them are heating up, sweating down all over their bodies. Some even dozed off, and made occasional twitchy movements. It wasn't a sight to behold and Patricia did not come to see it. Ignoring them, she made her way all the way over to Ashton's room. The door is already standing wide open while the five other doors remain closed. It wasn't unusual however, so Patricia did not think about it, instead entering the room to see Ashton. Everyday she would come to see him and everyday did he look the same. Not better, not worse, just static. Being a religious woman though, Patricia had to be thankful for what she could and she is indeed thankful for Ashton's condition not worsening. Upon looking at him closely, Patricia notes something peculiar. Red lipstick, right on Ashton's lips, lipstick printed on him from another pair of lips. Patricia thinks she has a pretty good guess of who kissed Ashton but she didn't come to be a nosy aunt. So instead, she pulls the chair closer to the bed and rests her lower body atop it. Everything has already been placed in the small night stand next to him and now Patricia holds Ashton's family album in her hands and she flips the cover, revealing photos. Not a single photo has ever been placed inside of it yet clearly there are now a few of them placed neatly inside. Photos of Ashton by himself she found loose in some drawers, photos of Ashton with his friends, and finally just a few photos of him and Patricia. She remembers asking Ashton take a few photos with her and he complied without much resistance. The only photo of Ashton with his parents was one Patricia had found deep in a drawer. His mother and father both holding him and smiling. He looks to only be a few months old but even as a baby the look on his face lingers far away from the camera and into the horizon...but with a tasteful, curious, and gigantic smile on his face. So that was the purpose of this album. It iwas to stay here to be the first thing Ashton sees with his own eyes when he finally wakes up. Soon however, Sandra walks into Ashton's room, seeing Patricia there yet again. Sandra looks at her with sympathy, admiring the care she possesses for her dear nephew. Patricia quickly notes that Sandra wears a surgical mask oh her face. “Hey Patrica. Sorry to tell ya but the doctor asked me to come and get you. More sickly people with fevers just came in and we can't risk it being highly contagious, so we're evacuating all the visitors as we speak.” Sandra tells her. Patricia looks bummed but she understands it is for her own good and for those like her. “Sure thing Sandra. I'll get out of your teeth.” After this Patricia leaves the comfort of the chair and places the family album firmly on top of the nightstand. She begins to slowly walk towards the door, making the small trek last. Once there, she looks back at Ashton one more time before smiling and waving Sandra goodbye. Patricia follows by gently shutting the door behind her. As Sandra watches her silhouette leave through the window, Sandra turns her attention to everything Patricia brought along with her. Flowers, the album but also those happy birthday balloons. Sandra feels regret for making Patricia leave once she realizes today's date...and how much it meant to Patricia. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ May 5th, 2010 Many people begin evacuating town in their own vehicles as they hear more and more about this rapidly growing disease that essentially de-humanizes its victims and turns them into mindless cannibalistic killing machines. The Mexican government has legalized the act of fighting back and killing these infected beings and have already calculated that 50% of Mexico's population has already turned or been killed by these “re-animated corpses” that people have taken a liking into classifying as “infected”. Patricia sits barricaded at her home, and has been highly anticipating these attacks ever since that first encounter with the very first infected Tecpan ever saw. She has already collected much food and water, as well as clothes that some local businesses were giving away a few days ago. She sits there, revolver and ammo handy. This weapon actually belonged to her estranged husband Julian, who could be dead by now for all she knows. But alas, she breaths easy, knowing she is safe indoors behind the home's strong gates. At this point, she has seen this disease infect somebody and turn them into a beast completely. Just a few hours ago, an acquaintance was devoured and ripped to shreds in front of her very eyes. It was insane just to think about. It all just happened overnight ever since her first infected encounter. The local news talked about a group rally of sorts being formed by the people who still stayed in Tecpan. It was simple really. A sergeant native to Tecpan personally came back from Pie de la Cuesta to bring people back to his base, where a plane would fly all of them back to Mexico City, where they'd gotten word of a supposed safe-zone. The man in charge goes by the name of Jorge Mendoza...but Patricia is choosing to stay put. How could there possibly exist such a place? A place to protect the nation from god's revival of the dead? Or at least that's what the church called it. For Patricia, this was satan's doing but it became so apparent to her that god did not intend to stop his terror. But a loud knock on her door catches Patricia's attention, and Patricia runs to open the door, knowing these “infected” don't have the mental capacity to knock on a door. She opens it and reveals a man, but she knows this man. It's Julian, accompanied by many other people, mostly armed. This is the group rally that has been so crazily advertised this last week, and it has finally arrived at her door. Julian is accompanied by a soldier as well but Patricia cannot read his name. Nevertheless, his name is Private Suares. Notably, his left eye is black and lower lip has been stitched, indicating his part in some kind of scuffle. “Julian? You're a part of this?” she asks her husband. Julian is tragically smiling, because now he knows Patricia is indeed alive and breathing. “Paty, we have to go. Pack your things and come with us!” Julian pleads to his wife. “The safe zone exists, and they're going to take us there! Mi amor come on!” he adds. Patricia questions every single word that comes out of his mouth, specially the last of his sentence. “Mi amor?” she thinks. She has not been his love for quite a while now. “I'm sorry Julian, but I'm staying put. I know how to avoid these monsters and I won't need to leave this home for anything in a long time.” she retorts. Julian continues to plead to her with that sad look in his eyes, one that goes through Patricia like a hot knife through butter. “Please, you don't understand! Your underestimate them! Their smell is there and it is unlike anything you will ever see! They will come here and pile up, and eventually knock these gates down!” Patricia doesn't even bother to respond. “Please just listen to me! You're going to stay here all alone!” “All alone? I'd say I've gotten pretty used to that. I assume you've gotten the sickly out of here, correct? Then take them back now and don't bother to continue looking here in this neighborhood! Everybody who thought ahead already left! And those that didn't were already killed.” Patricia says this harshly, she is clearly angry at Julian, but he doesn't seem to understand why. Has he really forgotten all the abuse she endured from those two years as his wife? Private Suares knows that they're wasting their time and he nudges Julian to tell him it's over. As they leave, Patricia calls out to them. “Wait, there's just one thing I need to know! What happened to all of the hospital patients?” she asks this serenely, with such an intense tone. She asks a serious question and demands a serious answer. “There's no time for them. They're a lost cause! We will only take able bodies back to the safe zone!” Private Suares replies to her, harshly and devoid of sympathy. Patricia fumes up and tries to calm down. “...thank you for your honesty.” she replies calmly. Quickly, she runs back inside the house but leaves the door wide open. Julian sees this and signals everybody to stop. Soon, Patricia emerges from her home, with nothing but a small backpack strapped to her back. She sees the group rally waiting for her and sprints all the way to them. Julian sees this and he smiles. Patricia reaches them in seconds and soon she's at their side. “I'm coming with you. I want to see this safe zone for myself” she lies to them. Her plan is simple, use them as defense from the undead and reach the hospital, where she knows Ashton will be resting. Julian suddenly embraces her, much to her dismay. She shoves him off of herself and her glare stuns him, and soon after he turns away from her as the group rally continues their trek to the large military convoy that will supposedly drive them to safety. They move down towards the main avenue, facing a large group of infected along the way. Patricia stops, thinks. She sees a nearby shovel and picks it up. She begins to charge at these infected, dispatching them with powerful blows to the sides of their heads. Sickening snaps of their spines are all heard as the shovel comes into contact with the sides of their heads. Patricia's sheer determination to get to Ashton is astounding. Never in her entire life has she felt so powerful. The rest of the group rally watches in amazement, and very soon, they too join her in dispatching them. Patricia's grunts are loud and frankly frightening, even private Suares is impressed. Sooner than not, Patricia sees the last infected and she glares down at it. She pushes it down and sinks the shovel down on it's face. When she's done, she breaths but this is short as soon they are all urged to continue. But as they finally come closer to the main avenue, they see what's become of it, anarchy. A group of armed men toss Molotov cocktails carelessly around the area and soon their sights are set on the group rally. Private Suares knows who these people are, they're from the Costa Grande cartel. “Everyone, run! Straight to where I told you to! Don't look back!” Private Suares yells as he fires his rifle at the crowd of cartel men. They begin to fire back but their pistols are no match for the sheer power of the machine. Patricia stops again, contemplates on her next move. She spots Julian in the distance, leading the rally to what appears to be on the path to the marketplace. This is where Patricia breaks completely loose and runs in a completely distant direction, ignoring the gunfire near her. One of the cartel men notices her, but unlike the others, he doesn't hide his face behind a bandana. He looks at her run and begins to lick the exterior of his lips in lust. “Roberto, take care of things here. I'm going to have some real fun. Kill him and rendezvous with El Kanguro back the church like we discussed.” he tells the man. Roberto looks back to him and replies. “No problem Saul. Just remember to leave some for the rest of us.” he jokes. With that, Saul takes off. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Patricia has now reached the interior of the hospital and to her surprise it is crumbling, soon to collapse thanks to these flames. On the reception's desk, she sees a large duffel bag and she makes her way to it. There is a note attached to it that reads “God bless you”. Patricia leaves the bag for now and turns her attention to the corridor. She ignores the flames in her way and runs to Ashton's room. There she sees him as he lies, soundly in his coma. He's no longer being fed oxygen through a tank and is breathing steadily. Patricia lets out tears of joy as she bares witness to this from the outside window. But something is wrong, she hears shuffling nearby. It's the bag, moving. The pills, the alcohol, everything shakes and makes obvious noises. But what catches Patricia off guard is the sound of a guns safety being removed. Soon, a bullet is fired. Patricia, feeling threatened, sneaks over to investigate. A bald man, wearing a white suit and shades in his face, has picked up the bag and dispatched a single infected. This is Saul, he smiles proudly at his finding and even lets out a self-assuring “Yeah!” from his vulgar, disgusting mouth. Patricia though, has a perfect view of Saul's neck, where an unmistakable tattoo is embedded into his skin. She wastes no time, she runs over to him with her revolver's safety off and the gun aimed. Saul is caught off guard by this and attempts to draw but before he can even aim, four bullets have already made their way to his chest and he drops his weapon in pain. “Ah fuck!” he yells. He has a vest on but the pain is too much for him to handle. Patricia wastes no time, and returns to Ashton, who is still soundly resting. Since his bed can be wheeled, Patricia does so and takes him out of the room, back to the lobby. In her haste, she forgets the family album, that is soon charred by flames soon after their leave from Ashton's room, where the roof has now collapsed. Patricia grabs the bag and pulls the strap over to her right shoulder. With Ashton and the bag secured, she moves swiftly out of the hospital, to see that the gunfire has already ceased. Saul watches her silhouette leave the hospital, trying his best to regain his stance. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Patricia succeeds in bringing Ashton and the medicine back home... but at it's own cost. It was a valiant effort, but now she realizes it. She's bitten, practically already dead as her wrist continues to drip her blood down to the floor below her. She's crying hysterically, as she feels the infection begin to spread around her body. Full of adrenaline, she finds in herself the strength to lift Ashton over her shoulders and carry him upstairs. She places her nephew down in his parent's bed as she looks at him one final time. Patricia can't help herself, she gives him one final embrace as he lays down on the bed, culminating with a kiss to his forehead. But soon she lets go and runs down the stairs. Patricia continues to cry all around the moment, shaking her head in disbelief as she begins to collapse. The fever is already beginning to boil her from the inside. While slumped against the wall, she checks her revolver and finds that she has one bullet left. She could use it on herself and prevent her transformation into one of these mindless monsters...yet she can't. Amidst her tears, she lets out a smile. It's a tragic one, but a smile nonetheless. It's strange really....she feels-- proud-- proud of herself for making it this far, proud of herself for finally getting over Julian's abuse, but most importantly, proud of herself for saving her neph-- no-- he dear SON's life. There is no greater feeling than this one in the entire universe and her gratefulness for getting to experience it before death is...uncanny. With the strength she has left, she rises to her feet and opens the sliding door that leads to the backyard. Once there, she sets her sights on some chains and a lock. She grins, this will do just fine. Without further ado, she grabs these chains and the lock, moving closer that pillar. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ May 6th, 2010 It's a whole new day in Tecpan as the sun is present in Ashton's backyard...but our attention is to that pillar, one of the four that supports Ashton's terrace. In it, a true example of beauty lies slumped against the very pillar, chained up like an animal. She doesn't move and her skin is now a sickly green. As is her once radiant strawberry blonde hair. The stench she emits is enough to make someone hurl. Yet she still maintains those beautiful, fairy-like looks. She remains static, not moving an inch. But this doesn't last. She begins to squirm, but barely. Her fingers begin to move. Soon, so do her legs. Until she starts to shake uncontrollably. And finally, she opens those gorgeous eyes, that are now a deep shade of pure yellow... Trivia *The title of the special refers to Patricia's wail as she is attacked by the first infected, one of many to follow. In a way, this scream foretold death as a real Banshee's wail does. *Banshee takes place before Third World, and therefore marks the chronological start to A Long Road to Fortune. *Banshee was originally planned to be released on January 8th, 2014, to coincide with the one year anniversary of the first issue of A Long Road to Fortune. Ultimately, the release date was pushed forward a few days. Category:A Long Road to Fortune Category:A Long Road to Fortune Issues Category:Issues Category:PBR Sharpshoot Stories